NYT WORLD: His Estate Has 3 Swimming Pools and a Stable. He Says He’s Not Rich.
By Christina Goldbaum and Erin Schaff
Section: World
Source: New York Times
Published Date: December 10, 2022 at 02:00AM
The daily visit to his estate, in the northern town of Al Khor, has offered him much-needed respite since the men’s soccer World Cup turned Qatar into an exhausting, round-the-clock carnival, he told me. Once the tournament is over, he plans to recuperate in London, where he’ll hire a personal trainer to work out and eat every meal with him, lest he ingest too many calories. But like his desert home, this is all — Mr. Al Misned said — quite normal.
“I’m not a rich person,” he explained.
Only a generation ago in Qatar, this nonchalance toward obvious markers of wealth would have been unimaginable.
For much of the 20th century, the country was little more than a barren desert of fishermen and pearl divers who made their living off the salty water of the Persian Gulf. But the discovery of gas fields off its northern shore in the 1970s — and the resulting energy boom — reversed the country’s fortunes. Qataris now enjoy some of the highest average incomes in the world — along with free health care, free higher education, housing support, cushy government jobs, financial support for newlyweds and generous subsidies.
Much of that personal wealth is hidden in the privacy of Qatari homes, which are rarely opened to outsiders. And it is not shared equally. The country is highly stratified, with approximately two million migrant laborers enlisted to facilitate a luxurious lifestyle for about 380,000 Qatari citizens.
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By Christina Goldbaum and Erin Schaff
Section: World
Source: New York Times
Published Date: December 10, 2022 at 02:00AM
A rare look inside a Qatari home offers a glimpse at how the lucrative gas industry has transformed the formerly poor, barren country.
AL KHOR, Qatar — Every afternoon, Muhammad Al Misned leaves his office in Doha, the Qatari capital, jumps into his white land cruiser and drives to his second home in the desert. There, behind a castle-like facade, is his sanctuary — with three swimming pools, two soccer fields, a bowling alley, a stable, a volleyball court and one carefully manicured hedge maze, among other luxuries.The daily visit to his estate, in the northern town of Al Khor, has offered him much-needed respite since the men’s soccer World Cup turned Qatar into an exhausting, round-the-clock carnival, he told me. Once the tournament is over, he plans to recuperate in London, where he’ll hire a personal trainer to work out and eat every meal with him, lest he ingest too many calories. But like his desert home, this is all — Mr. Al Misned said — quite normal.
“I’m not a rich person,” he explained.
Only a generation ago in Qatar, this nonchalance toward obvious markers of wealth would have been unimaginable.
Much of that personal wealth is hidden in the privacy of Qatari homes, which are rarely opened to outsiders. And it is not shared equally. The country is highly stratified, with approximately two million migrant laborers enlisted to facilitate a luxurious lifestyle for about 380,000 Qatari citizens.
Read More at: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/10/world/middleeast/qatar-wealth-world-cup.html
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